A previous article regarding table salt drew an unusually high number of responses, which we wanted to share:
“That was great information about salt! I grew up in a home where salt was added to everything. Now that I am on The Hallelujah Diet my taste buds have so changed that I no longer use the salt shaker.” Susan O.
“Great article! I am wondering about the differences between Himalayan Salts and Celtic Sea Salts. I understand the Sea Salt can no longer be trusted due to ocean pollution.” Myjolina
“What about Himalayan Salt, Rev. Malkmus? Let us know what you think.” Dolly
“My wife just returned from Italy where she learned that it is illegal for commercial bakers to add salt when making bread and she said the bread tasted great without it.” Kenneth E.
These responses and others, made us want to revisit the topic of table salt and share more with all of you.
Research on Table Salt
We asked Hallelujah Diet Research Director Dr. Michael Donaldson, PhD to comment on the subject and to respond to the many other questions sent in. Here is what he wrote:
“Celtic (brand) sea salt contains small amounts of other minerals and traces of many minerals that occur in sea water in very small amounts. Each of these minerals likely have a role in the human body; if the trace minerals are supplied then a person will have better health. Some of these minerals exist in land plants only in very, very small mounts, if at all. Conventionally grown crops have even fewer trace minerals than bio-dynamically grown crops. Unrefined sea salt is one of the few sources for these minerals. Refined table salts have none of these trace elements. The body can and does use these ionic electrolytes (inorganic minerals) all the time. Saying that there are only organic and inorganic minerals is a false simplification of the world of minerals. There are ionic minerals, organically bound minerals, coordination complex minerals, and some mineral forms that do not dissolve in water at all. An easy test to see if a fluid has ionic minerals is to use a light tester that is commonly used to show the purity of distilled water. If the light turns on, the solution conducts electricity; if not, then there are no ions in the solution. All body fluids, carrot juice, and juice from other plants all conduct electricity very well because they all contain ions. The body uses ions and absorbs ions quite well. God created the body to absorb ionic minerals. So, the use of natural salts like Celtic (brand) Sea Salt, Real (brand) Salt, or Himalayan Salt can be helpful as Rev. Malkmus has pointed out in his article. Please note that if you use these unrefined, mineral-rich salts in the same amounts as people generally use refined table salt, you may still have some of the issues you would have with refined table salt. However a small amount of refined sea salt can be very healthy.”
Different Types of Salt
Himalayan Salt and Celtic Sea Salt are basically the same. The difference being that the Celtic Salt is freshly made while the Himalayan Salt is from an old sea deposit found in the ground. Both are excellent salts. As for the Celtic Sea Salt coming from polluted ocean water, the source of "Celtic" brand sea salt in particular is the carefully maintained (and regulated) salt marshes on the shores of France where the ocean water is not polluted.
